Medicine-cup



J. HILLIARY.

(No Model.)

MEDICINE CUP.

No. 584,937. Patented June 22,1897.

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' UNTTED STATES PATENT @rricE.

JOHN HILLIARY, OF BOONTON, NEWV JERSEY.

MEDiCINE-CUP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,937, dated June 22, 1897.

I Application filed November 18, 1895. Serial No. 568,762. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN l-IILLIARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boonton, in the county of Morris and State of New J ersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Medicine-Cups, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

This invention relates generally to cups, flasks, or other like or similar vessels used for giving or taking medicine.

The invention relates particularly to such a cup or flask when constructed in manner and form adapting it to carry a fluid or fluid medicine, and also to carry separately from the medicine another fluid, which latter fluid is supposed to be one of a kind adapted to neutralize or counteract the taste or other effect of the medicine in the mouth or throat of the person taking the same.

As is well understood, many medicines are extremely unpleasant to the taste of persons taking the same, especially if in a weak or debilitated state, and it is common practice when a medicine is taken that is likely to have an undesirable effect upon the organs or glands of the mouth or throat of the person taking it to immediately give some fluid of a nature adapted to neutralize the taste or prevent the natural spasmodic action of the organs of the mouth and throat which otherwise might follow taking the medicine. In

such case, however, an interval must natu rally elapse between the time that the medicine is swallowed and the time when the neutralizing fluid is taken, and during such moment undesirable spasmodic action may 00- our or such a disagreeable taste may be established as will not be wholly removed by the fluid subsequently taken to neutralize the same. It is desirable, therefore,-to provide means whereby a medicine and a taste-neutralizing fluid may be taken, the latter fluid to immediately follow in action as though it were a final part of but not mingled with the medicine being taken. In other words, it is desirable that the neutralizing fluid shall immediately follow without interruption in the act of swallowing or otherwise taking the medicine, so that the last sensation left in the mouth and throat shall be one effected by cine into the mouth of the person taking the same the taste-neutralizing fluid will immediately follow the medicine and without unnecessarily mingling with it and without interfering with the continuous flow of fluid into the mouth or with the continuous act of swallowing. By such means it is efiected that the final taste left in the mouth of the person taking the medicine is that produced by the tasteneutralizing fluid, and therefore any spasmodic action of the organs of the mouth or throat, as well as any undesirable taste that might otherwise be left by the medicine, is avoided.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a vertical central section of a cup constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 shows the positions of the various parts of this cup when in the act of drinking.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A represents the body of the cup, which may be conicocylindrical, as shown, or of any other suitable form.

13 represents what I will call the medicinecompartment? 0 represents the compartment in which the taste-neutralizing fluid is contained. Each of these compartments opens to the top of the cup.

D is a diaphragm or partition separating the two compartments, but not extending quite tothe top of the cup.

E is another partition extending from side to side of the cup and nearly to the bottom of the medicine-compartment, a passage F under this partition being provided. A lip or dam G attached to this partition is provided, which extends over the compartment 0, leaving a passage H between it and the top of the latter partition. These partitions or diaphragms form the walls or sides of a duct for the passage of the taste-neutralizing fluid from the upper part of its compartment to the lower portion of the other compartment when the cup is tilted.

Any medicine, whether in fluid form or whether carried by a fluid-Vehicle, is placed in the compartment B. A suitable quantity of taste-neutralizin g fluid is placed in the compartment C. At the time of taking the medicine, or of one person giving medicine to another, the cup will be seized by the hand in the usual manner and the edge of the compartment B will be applied to the lips and the cup tilted, as shown in Fig. Under these circumstances the medicine will flow into the mouth of the person taking it at the same time the taste-neutralizin g fluid will flow through the passage II and down the space between the two partitions and join and follow the stream of medicine fluid, so that the two fluids will flow into the mouth as a continuous stream, but yet without mingling to any undesirable extent.

\Vhat is claimed as new is- 1. A cup for administering medicine and a taste-neutralizing fluid, which comprises two compartments formed by a vertical partition and provided with a duct for the passage of liquid opening at the upper part of one compartment and the lower part of the other, so that when the cup is tilted for the purpose of draining the medicine-compartment, the contents of the other will flow therefrom through said duct into and through the first compartment, as set forth.

2. A cup for administering medicine and a taste-neutralizing fluid, which comprises two compartments separated from each other by a partition, and also a partition forming a passage from one compartment into the other so arranged that in the act of draining the contents of the 1ncdicine-compartment the other compartment is put into open communication with the former, so that the contents of the two compartments will flow from the said former compartment in a continuous stream, as set forth.

3. The combination in a cup for giving medicines, a body or similar shell A, a partition I) forming compartments B and C, and a partition E G arranged to form the passages II and F, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN IULTJIARY.

Vitncsses:

E. A. ScnInNEn, FRANK )I'. SAUNDERS. 

